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Citrix Synergy 2012 conference coverage

Desktop virtualization and cloud in the mobile era

Citrix Synergy 2012 painted a picture of a changing workforce and the future of desktop computing: movement away from device management and toward mobile app management using virtual desktops and the cloud.

Citrix Systems Inc.'s annual conference in San Francisco emphasized mobile app management offerings such as CloudGateway 2 and Citrix Receiver, with Citrix desktop virtualization products such as XenDesktop and XenApp getting a little less face time. Those products will fit into Project Avalon, however, which provides Windows app and desktop delivery from the cloud -- a step toward greater flexibility for virtual desktop admins.

Other vendors also stepped into the spotlight. Citrix announced its acquisition of Virtual Computer, and Dell and Hewlett-Packard announced new VDI client hardware.

Check out all the news from before, during and after the show below. And if you missed out, read Brian Madden's live blog of the Citrix Synergy 2012 keynote.

Table of contents:

Citrix desktop virtualization news

Citrix acquires XenClient competitor Virtual Computer
Citrix officially announced the acquisition of Virtual Computer during Wednesday's keynote. That means Citrix desktop virtualization gets a boost with the NxTop client hypervisor, but some IT pros speculated that the company is simply trying to eliminate the competition.

Dell and HP churn out VDI hardware as thin client war heats up
Desktop virtualization competitors Dell and HP upped the ante at Citrix Synergy 2012 with new VDI offerings. Dell updated its Desktop Virtualization Solutions system by adding Unidesk software into the mix, which provides desktop provisioning and management software for XenDesktop and VMware View environments. Not to be outdone, HP announced a low-power t410 All-in-One Smart Zero Client that uses Power over Ethernet.

Setting the stage for Citrix Synergy 2012
Before the show, our experts looked forward to XenClient and VDI-in-a-Box updates, plus the usual Citrix VDI news about upcoming XenApp and XenDesktop versions. They also hoped to learn more about the company's HDX system-on-chip technology, which Dell's new HP t410 AiO zero client will support.

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Consumerization and cloud coverage

Citrix Project Avalon offers Windows as a Service, licensing questions linger
As details about Citrix Project Avalon emerged, IT pros wondered how the cloud service would follow Microsoft licensing rules for Desktop as a Service. Avalon allows customers to mix and match Windows Server, XenDesktop and XenApp to roll out Windows desktops and apps to public and private clouds, but is that really something new?

BYOD shops get Citrix Receiver, CloudGateway 2 and ShareFile combo
Citrix introduced a bevy of products that employees can use together to ease BYOD management. CloudGateway 2 can now deliver enterprise, mobile and Software as a Service applications to Citrix Receiver, which allows users to access corporate apps from the cloud -- all the while managed by IT. Plus, ShareFile provides data storage and access from separate, protected zones.

A look at the XenApp 6.5 mobility pack
A Citrix engineer showed our experts around the XenApp 6.5 mobility pack, previously called Project Golden Gate. It's part of the Mobile Application SDK toolkit that allows developers to create mobile apps hosted by XenApp and deliver them to mobile devices with Citrix Receiver. Those apps can then interact with device hardware features such as GPS, cameras and more.

Analysis of Citrix mobile app management news
Listen to this episode of the Consumerization Nation podcast for an analysis of Citrix’s foray into the enterprise file-sharing and storage market with ShareFile. Plus, the hosts discuss Citrix Receiver, CloudGateway, and how Microsoft licensing could factor into Project Avalon.

Consumerization of IT: What's VDI got to do with it?
It was no surprise Citrix Synergy 2012 focused on mobile app management and delivery. With the ever-growing consumerization of IT, organizations can also take advantage of desktop virtualization to improve bring your own device (BYOD) security and administration.

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